The best yoga retreats in the U.S. for a mindful vacation

On 250 sprawling acres in New York’s breathtaking Hudson Valley, Omega welcomes thousands of guests (especially those who arrived by way of NYC, the most stressed-out city in the U.S.) every year to the main campus of its nonprofit center devoted to well-being. Opt to participate in a rigorous or restorative yoga workshop with a top teacher or simply book a wellness vacation focused on rest and rejuvenation. Free-form retreats are available spring through fall, with daily yoga, tai chi, and meditation classes. While there, you’ll have plenty of time for contemplative strolls on nature trails in between kayaking, nutritious meals and spa treatments.

Omega Institute, 150 Lake Dr, Rhinebeck, NY, $300-$840 for two all-inclusive nights.



Yoga guru John Quirk welcomes fellow cohorts of contortionism to participate in his four-day digital detox in San Diego’s beautiful Serenity Mountain Estate, which incorporates 20 acres of spectacular scenery with equally spectacular views. Benefiting from over 30 years of experience, the SoCal Wellness Retreat offers classes on the benefits of plant-based eating and meditation in addition to daily yoga classes. Brunch, dinner and snacks are prepared by a private chef using locally sourced ingredients and guests can enjoy a lap pool, terrace and gardens for independent yoga and meditation.

Cactus Blossom Retreat, 7606 Northrup Dr, San Diego, CA, 92126. Accommodations range from $797-$2497.

Situated on dramatic Big Sur cliffs about 45 miles south of Monterey, Esalen has served as a West Coast mecca for fans of yoga, meditation, organic food, and spirituality since its founding in the early 1960s. The choice of Don Draper—Mad Men filmed its final episode on campus—Esalen has also hosted such real-life icons throughout the decades as Ansel Adams, Ray Bradbury, Joan Baez, Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, and many more. Today, Esalen continues to draw guests to its stunning 120-acre campus with more than 500 workshops a year and conferences, research initiatives, and work-study programs all dedicated to personal and social transformation. All workshop pricing includes accommodations, meals, movement programming, and complete use of facilities—including the clothing-optional geothermal springs overlooking the crashing waves of the Pacific.

Esalen Institute, 55000 Highway 1, Big Sur, CA. Rates start at $540 and vary by program and include accommodations, meals, and use of facilities. 

At the Zen Den Yoga School in Boca Raton, you can choose from a wide range of retreats, from a quick two-night restorative retreat to a full 28-day transformational detox. Every session includes yoga, meditation and wellness. Retreats are offered year-round to help people unplug and unwind from the stress of daily life since stress is not in any way limited to a seasonal affair. Ashtanga-inspired vinyasa, Sivananda, Hatha and restorative styles of yoga are practiced here and yogis of all levels are encouraged to participate. In addition to the meditation and yoga classes, guests also typically receive massages, acupuncture, and nutritional cooking lessons. While on-site, guests can access a modern, well-equipped kitchen and grocery stores nearby.

Zen Den Yoga School, Boca Raton, Florida 33431. Rates vary by program and include accommodations and use of facilities.

Kripalu is widely regarded in the yoga world as one of the best-established destinations in the country for immersive, holistic living training and getaways. Seekers of yogic serenity can choose from three primary ways to experience Kripalu: a self-guided retreat, a focused program led by an outside presenter or Kripalu faculty, or teacher training. Since types of stays and programs at Kripalu—at its core a nonprofit educational organization with more than 700 on-campus and online programs a year—are highly varied and flexible, fees can range widely. All retreats are priced for all-inclusive stays on the spacious grounds, with minimalist accommodations, healthy meals and daily classes, and the use of a sauna, fitness room, lakefront beach, hiking trails and more.

Kripalu, 57 Interlaken Rd, Stockbridge, MA. Rates vary by program and include accommodations, meals and use of facilities. There is a two-night minimum.

Set amid the Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona, the Sedona Mago Retreat Center has been a place of restoration and healing for more than 40 years. In addition to various events and classes, the center hosts its signature five-day Sedona Wellness Retreat, which allows participants to pause from daily life to look inward through a series of mindfulness exercises, including yoga and meditation. Guests can take in all 173 acres of nature by hiking along trails with red rock views, strolling through the three labyrinths, or meditating on the banks of the property's lake. 

Sedona Mago Retreat, 3500 Bill Gray Rd, Sedona, AZ.
Tuition with a private room is $2,220, while a shared is $1,980.

If your life is equally split between meditational activities and adrenaline sports, then you should absolutely make your way to the Whitney Base Camp and Climbing School in Joshua Tree and enroll on their three-day retreat course for an action-packed weekend, where a significant portion of it will be spent upside down, soothing and stretching those all-important climbing muscles. The daily routine starts with a guided yoga session before heading out to scale some of the best climbs that Joshua Tree National Park has to offer. The climbing is divided into groups according to ability and each is led by guides certified in different techniques, like bouldering, multi-pitch and big-wall climbing. Even beginners can progress here in safety. All the necessary gear is provided free of charge, but guests are asked to bring their own camping gear and other provisions and it might be worth considering dates in the spring or fall when temperatures are mildest in Joshua Tree.

Whitney Base Camp and Climbing School. A six-day climbing camp for talented teens starts at $1,600, a beginner class for outdoor rock climbing starts at $425, an intro to big wall climbing for experienced climbers starts at $475, and the weekend women's yoga & climbing retreat starts at $425.

On 94 acres of the Big Island in Hawaii, Kalani nestles between a tropical jungle and the Pacific Ocean. All efforts are accomplished by the intentional community and stewards that inhabit it. One of the region’s largest yoga retreats, Kalani offers a plethora of yoga, meditation, dance, and Hawaiian cultural classes every week, plus an expansive menu of massage styles. On-site accommodations include private ocean or garden-view cottages. All guests are welcome to attend classes, enjoy our hiking trails, get their hands dirty in the garden, receive a wellness treatment, book a tour, and more.

Kalani, 12-6870 Kalapana-Kapoho Rd, Pāhoa, Hawaii. $247 per night for cottage accommodations. 

Does yoga in a tropical paradise sound like your speed? Then report to Maui’s North Shore and Lumeria, a luxurious educational adventure haven set on a carefully restored six-acre estate designed in 1910. The look of the historic 24-room property, housed in the oldest wooden structure on Maui, evokes its surroundings with natural woods, stone and Hawaiian-inspired decor. Lumeria’s classes and programs keep its guests out in nature too, with yoga, kayaking and surfing. Recover with a meditation session, a dip in the saltwater pool or a massage. Plus, both all-inclusive and accommodations-only options are available, making for a very flexible yoga retreat.

Lumeria Maui, 1813 Baldwin Ave, Makawao, Hawaii. Rates vary for a multi-day, all-inclusive retreat. Price per night varies.

Tucked right in the Rocky Mountains near Helena, Montana, Feathered Pipe Ranch offers holistic workshops and yoga retreats guided by renowned teachers. Take a respite from the harried pace of life—no reliable cell service here—and enroll in a retreat focused on yoga or another mindful modality. Various lodging choices, including tipis, tents, and yurts, plus tons of outdoor activities, ensure a connection to the natural world. Not to mention, the availability of suites with private bathrooms, massage, acupuncture, and wellness consultations all but guarantee total bliss.

Feathered Pipe Ranch, 2409 Bear Creek Rd, Helena, MT. Attending with a workshop is all-inclusive of accommodations and meals, and prices vary depending on the program.

A longstanding mountain sanctuary overlooking Santa Barbara, the Pacific, and the Channel Islands, the White Lotus Foundation Retreat Center was founded by accomplished yoga master Ganga White and has served as a gathering place for devoted and aspiring yogis for decades. The center offers a personal meditation retreat with time spent in silent reflection, yoga practices, hikes in old-growth oak and bay forests, silent meditation in canyons, and dips in sandstone swimming holes.

White Lotus Foundation Retreat Center, 2500 San Marcos Pass Rd, Santa Barbara, CA. Accommodations can be arranged for private indoor lodging, yurts, or scenic campsites. Prices vary.

Established as a yoga retreat in 1997, the Sewall House is not a massive retreat center or wellness center, and that's why people love it. The historic home features only six private guest rooms, so the entire stay is an intimate affair, allowing teachers to personalize your yoga journey while on site. The center recommends booking at least five consecutive nights to get the most out of the experience. Expect morning meditation sessions, two yoga sessions per day, three included vegetarian meals and free time to enjoy as you wish. 

Sewall House Yoga Retreat, 1027 Crystal Rd, Island Falls, ME. Five-days, all-inclusive, ranges from $1,875 to $2,730. Seven-days, all-inclusive, ranges from $2,520 to $3,717.

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Colorado Rockies and the soaring Great Stupa of Dharmakaya (built in honor of the center’s founder, a Tibetan meditation master), the Shambhala Mountain Center is a haven for the neophyte and experienced practitioners alike with a robust schedule of programs on yoga, meditation, and more. Move one step closer to enlightenment with a stay that includes not only yoga but also wilderness walks, guided meditations, poetry readings, and three healthy meals a day. The sparse yet comfortable accommodations range from rustic lodge rooms with private baths to shared same-gender dormitories and well-priced seasonal tents on wooded hillsides.

Shambhala Mountain Center, 151 Shambhala Way, Red Feather Lakes, CO. Prices vary.

Get your "om" with a healthy dose of "yeehaw" at Big Sky Yoga Retreats high up in Montana’s Madison Range, about an hour north of Yellowstone National Park. Best known for its all-women "Cowgirl Yoga"—a blend of yoga and horseback riding—Big Sky hosts around a dozen all-level Rocky Mountain retreat weeks each year. The idea of practicing ashtanga, restorative, and vinyasa flow yoga under the endless Montana skies might be enough of a draw, but roll in the extra activities (nature hikes, starlit nights, mountain-themed cuisine, and a superb wine list) and the pull of this mountain getaway becomes irresistible.

Big Sky Yoga Retreats (multiple locations in Bozeman, MT). Prices and the length of stay vary from retreat to retreat.

The tranquil Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm has served as an oasis for yoga and meditation in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada mountains since 1971. Open to practitioners of all levels, the farm offers day programs, overnight stays and multi-day retreats, each packed with morning Satsang meditation, yoga classes, selfless service and organic, vegetarian meals. The 80-acre property also has multiple hiking paths, lavender fields, a peace labyrinth and a troop of friendly llamas.

Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm, 14651 Ballantree Lane, Grass Valley, CA. Prices vary based on accommodations and the length of the retreat. 

Leave the modern world behind during a stay at Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat, a holistic retreat center on 154 acres of wildlife refuge in the Willamette National Forest in the Oregon Cascades. Truly off-grid—the entire campus runs on locally generated geothermal power—Breitenbush operates as a worker-owned cooperative that hosts more than 150 events annually, ranging from all-level yoga retreats to doula trainings to Thai massage workshops. Beyond the scheduled retreats, the remote destination offers a free monthly Inipi Ceremony (sweat lodge) and access to multiple clothing-optional hot springs of varying temperatures.

Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat, 3000 Breitenbush Rd, Detroit, OR. Prices vary.